§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to announce his proposals for the withdrawal of social security benefits from students.
§ Mr. ScottIt is Government policy that full-time students should be funded from one source—the educational maintenance system. To this end we propose to withdraw entitlement to unemployment benefit, income support and housing benefit from the majority of students from the start of the next academic year in September. The regulations to give effect to these proposals have today been referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee for consultation. The draft regulations describe those 555W students in vulnerable groups who will retain eligibility to income support and housing benefit. They also set out the proposed treatment in the income-related benefits of top-up loans and payments from the access funds.